Calories in Fish and Chips: Chip Shop Portions and Extras

A regular portion of fish and chips from a UK chip shop has about 1,160 calories: roughly 480 for a 200 g piece of battered cod and 680 for a 317 g portion of chips, based on UK government food data. A small portion comes to about 785 calories and a large one about 1,590. Mushy peas add around 120 more, and a pot of curry sauce around 140.

Portions vary a lot between shops, so below are the calories in fish and chips by portion size, the fish and the chips on their own, the extras, and the math behind every number.

Calories in fish and chips by portion size

Portion	Battered cod	Chips	Calories	Protein	Carbs	Fat
Small	140 g	210 g	785	31 g	85 g	38 g
Regular	200 g	317 g	1,158	45 g	127 g	56 g
Large	256 g	456 g	1,590	59 g	179 g	76 g

How we got these: the UK’s official food composition data (CoFID, published on GOV.UK) lists chip shop cod (“Cod, in batter, fried, takeaway”) at 240 calories per 100 g and chip shop chips at 214. For a regular portion, 200 × 240 ÷ 100 = 480 and 317 × 214 ÷ 100 = 678, so 480 + 678 = 1,158.

The small, regular and large portion weights are our own estimate, built from measured takeaway portions:

• Small: 140 g of fish matches USDA’s small or regular fried cod fillet and the NHS portion of fish. 210 g of chips was the average chip shop portion in the Food Standards Agency’s 2002 portion guide, as reported by Obesity Action Scotland.
• Regular: 317 g is the median weight of a regular portion of chips bought from independent takeaways in Glasgow and Edinburgh for Food Standards Scotland (FSS) in 2024. The 200 g of fish is our own middle size between the small and large pieces.
• Large: 256 g is the average large battered cod that Seafish weighed from 30 UK takeaways in 2005 (skin removed). 456 g is the biggest regular chip portion in the FSS sampling.

Real portions spread even wider. In a 2016 Seafish report, mystery shoppers at 580 UK shops found medium portions of cod from 93 g to 562 g, and of chips from 100 g to 797 g. If you can, weigh yours: every 100 g of battered cod is about 240 calories and every 100 g of chips about 214.

In a US family-style restaurant, USDA lists a battered or breaded fish fillet serving at 226 g (219 calories per 100 g, about 495) and fries at 170 g (289 per 100 g, about 491). That plate comes to about 986 calories before tartar sauce.

Battered cod calories and other chip shop fish

Chip shop cod has 240 calories per 100 g in CoFID, with 16.8 g of protein, 10.7 g of carbs and 14.7 g of fat. Here is how other battered fish compare, from CoFID samples bought at takeaways and fish and chip shops:

Fish in batter	Per 100 g	200 g piece
Haddock	232	464
Cod	240	480
Plaice	257	514
Rock salmon (dogfish)	295	590

Haddock saves only about 16 calories on a 200 g piece. The bigger lever is the batter, which carries most of the fat. In Seafish frying trials, battered cod averaged 8.2 g of fat per 100 g, and just 0.7 g with the batter removed.

For the calories in other chip shop food, the FSS lab tests found a median of 1,278 calories for a battered sausage supper and 1,311 for a battered haggis supper, both with chips.

Chip shop chips calories

CoFID lists chips from takeaway fish and chip shops at 214 calories per 100 g, with 3.5 g of protein, 33.2 g of carbs, 8.4 g of fat and 3.2 g of fiber. The FSS lab tests found 219.5 calories per 100 g, so the figure still holds.

Chips	Weight	Calories
Average chip shop portion in 2002 (FSA guide)	210 g	449
Regular portion, median (FSS 2024)	317 g	678
Biggest regular portion (FSS 2024)	456 g	976
Biggest portion in a Glasgow survey (Obesity Action Scotland, 2018)	755 g	1,616

FSS’s own lab result for those regular portions was a median of 682 calories, close to our 678.

Chunky chips are lighter than thin fries, gram for gram. CoFID puts fine-cut chips from fast food outlets at 290 calories and 14.2 g of fat per 100 g, against 214 and 8.4 g for chip shop chips. That matches an NHS trust’s advice that thicker chips absorb less fat.

Calories in mushy peas, curry sauce and other extras

Extra	Portion	Calories
Mushy peas	150 g tub	122
Curry sauce	150 g pot	138
Gravy (made from granules)	150 g pot	45
Tartare sauce	12 g sachet	36
Tartare sauce	28 g pot	84
Tomato ketchup	10 g sachet	12

How we got these: CoFID values per 100 g (mushy peas 81, curry sauce 92, gravy 30, tartare sauce 299, ketchup 115) times the portion. The sachet weights and the 28 g pot are USDA’s. The 150 g tubs and pots are our assumption, since Seafish found mushy pea portions from 70 g to 251 g. CoFID has no chip shop curry sauce, so we use its homemade sweet UK-style curry sauce as a stand-in. Vinegar is only 22 calories per 100 g, so a splash adds almost nothing.

Mushy peas cost about as many calories as curry sauce, but a 150 g tub also brings 8.7 g of protein and 4.7 g of fiber.

A regular portion with mushy peas comes to 1,280 calories (1,158 + 122), and with curry sauce 1,296 (1,158 + 138). A large portion with mushy peas and a pot of tartare sauce is about 1,796 (1,590 + 122 + 84).

How to make fish and chips lighter

• Go small or share the chips. A small portion instead of a regular saves about 373 calories (1,158 minus 785). Every 100 g of chips you leave saves 214.
• Swap some chips for peas. A regular fish with half the regular chips and a tub of mushy peas is about 941 calories (480 + 339 + 122). An NHS trust leaflet suggests the same: a smaller portion of chips with mushy peas, beans or salad.
• Leave the batter, or ask for grilled fish. The NHS says grilled, baked or steamed fish is a healthier choice than fried. CoFID grilled cod is 106 calories per 100 g, so a 200 g fillet is about 212 instead of 480.
• Choose thick chips over thin fries, and skip extras like curry sauce, gravy and bread and butter.
• Cook it at home. 200 g of oven-baked cod (100 calories per 100 g) and 317 g of oven chips (189 per 100 g) come to about 799 calories (200 + 599).
• Check the menu at chains. In England, food businesses with 250 or more employees must show calories on their menus (since 6 April 2022). Independent chippies smaller than that don’t have to.
• Log your real portion. If your chippy’s portions look different, snap your plate in MacroScout with Pro and adjust the estimate before saving, or type in the numbers from this page on the free plan.

To plan the rest of your day, see the calories in 2 eggs and in a full English breakfast. For another British takeaway favorite, see chicken tikka masala.

This article is for general information and is not medical advice. Talk to your doctor before changing your diet, especially if you have a health condition.